


The Pitfalls of Dating

by howthemoonsuitsthenightsky



Category: SKAM (France)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Flatmate AU, M/M, Slow Burn, Smut, mentions of bipolar disorder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-05-07 19:43:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19216225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howthemoonsuitsthenightsky/pseuds/howthemoonsuitsthenightsky
Summary: When Lucas goes on a Tinder date, he doesn't expect the man he meets to have such a large impact on his life, but when that man is Eliott Demaury, it's inevitable, isn't it?





	1. First Meetings

“Hot date?” An excited voice comes from Lucas’ doorway. The door stands slightly ajar, the bright light coming in from the hallway casting a shadowy figure, but Lucas knows that it could only be Mika.

 

“Mika,” Lucas sighs, rolling his eyes as he untucks his t-shirt for at least the fifth time in the half an hour just past. “What did I say about knocking?”

 

Mika shrugs as he enters the room fully and makes a move to sit on Lucas’ bed, plonking himself down with a thud that makes Lucas worry for the inexpensive frame. Lucas sees that there is a bag of popcorn in his hand and flinches at the sound of the bag opening, knowing that the longer he lets Mika stay in his room, the longer it will take him to find all the crumbs.

 

He decides that refocusing his attention on his appearance is more important. He reaches a hand up to move through his hair again, unsure as to whether it looks good; it’s been a while since he’s had it cut this short.

 

“You should leave it like that, you know.” Mika’s voice is muffled by the popcorn he’s chewing.

 

“Do I really look okay?” Lucas turns around, away from his mirror and towards the double bed Mika is lounging across.

 

“You look great, honestly.” Lucas is reassured by Mika’s sincerity. He strides across his cluttered floor towards his bedside table, from which he grabs his wallet and keys. He checks his phone before pocketing it, no new text from the boy he’s meeting up with, but he’s come to learn that that’s normal, not just from this particular guy, but all the guys he’s been seeing recently.

 

“So,” Mika continues, obviously still curious, “who is he then? Someone new? Not that guy from last week again I hope. I mean, I’m a fan of nudity, but not that early in the morning, and not when a random guy is eating my cereal from the box.” The look on Mika’s face contrasts with how the situation makes Lucas feel looking back on it.

 

“God, no,” Lucas replies, stifling a laugh as he relives his own set of flashbacks from that particular one-night stand. He thinks that it may be the one time he’s regretted where being so horny gets him. “This is a new guy and we’ve been talking for more than a few hours. More like a few weeks really.”

 

“So that’s why you’re a little ball of nerves,” Mika remarks. Lucas can only nod in response. “It’ll go great, I’m sure. Though I’m not sure what he’ll think of the state of your room.”

 

Lucas has to resist rolling his eyes again. “Not like yours is any better.” His retort doesn’t gain any response out of Mika. “And I mean as long as the bed his clear…” He lets his sentence trail off, tapping his pockets to make sure he’s got everything, despite only having picked up everything a few moments before.

 

“Gosh, remember we’ve got someone moving into Manon’s old room tomorrow! Don’t put him off before he’s even properly moved in.”

 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do that just fine.” This time Lucas’ taunt gets a response as Mika launches himself off the bed in a poor attempt to tackle Lucas, which he cleanly dodges as he runs from his room out into the corridor. “Joking, joking,” he shouts as he gets to the front door, holding out his hands in defence before Mika stops his advances, allowing him to put on his jacket and shoes. “Besides, it’s the first date, I don’t think we’re going to end up doing anything like that.”

 

***

Two drinks in and Lucas feels like he’s ready to eat his words, or eat Eliott, though one would mean the other. They’re sitting in a circular booth in the corner of a dimly lit bar, their second round of cocktails sitting almost empty on the round table in front of them. Eliott is telling Lucas about his passion for art, describing in detail a piece which he recently got placed in a local gallery.

 

As Eliott’s words roll off his tongue Lucas can’t help but drink in the rest of him. His hair sits scruffily on top of his head, much messier than when he first walked into the bar from his fingers running through it when Lucas is talking. Even in the dim light, his eyes shine brightly as he’s talking, his hands forming abstract shapes in the air as he tries to explain things. Suddenly the corners of his eyes crinkle as he lets out a laugh and just as easily as that, Lucas is captivated, the magical sounds dancing across his whole body, making every hair stand on end.

 

Eliott goes quiet, having reached the end of his story and casually reaches out a hand to pick up his almost empty glass and take a final sip. “Seems we’re out of drinks.” His eyes dart from the table back to Lucas.

 

“Seems we are,” Lucas replies challengingly.

 

“So,” Eliott starts but is interrupted as Lucas pushes himself forward to press their lips together. At the joining of their lips, Eliott’s body instantly responds, reaching a hand to Lucas’ t-shirt to pull him closer on the sofa. He parts his lips slightly, allowing Lucas to taste the faint traces of the mojito that have just passed through them.

 

Lucas feels Eliott’s tongue slide against his own and lets out a small moan, which would sound wholly inappropriate if anyone could hear them over the loud music. The hand Eliott had placed on his t-shirt slowly slides underneath and grazes across Lucas’ stomach.

 

At that Lucas has to break the kiss, knowing that he can’t take much more in such a public place. He can see Eliott’s eyes open slowly in confusion as he glances hungrily from Lucas’ eyes to his lips and back again.

 

“Should we go somewhere else?” Lucas suggests. “Somewhere where we can be alone.” He gently licks his lips, hoping it sets Eliott on edge as much as it would him if Eliott were to do the same.

 

“I live five minutes away,” Eliott says with a smile, leaning in to gently brush his lips against Lucas’ before moving away to work his way out of the booth.

 

Lucas welcomes the cool air against his skin, just to help him control himself until they reach Eliott’s. As they walk, their hands brush, knuckles gently sliding against each other as they share fragments of conversation and shy smiles. Once in Eliott’s building, he guides them up two flights of a stone staircase, his hand interlocking with Lucas’ as the others slides along the metal banister.

 

At the door Eliott smoothly reaches into his pocket and pulls out a set of sliver keys, inserting the right one into the lock and twisting it to just the right point before pushing open the door. As he looks back at Lucas, he has to take in a breath to control himself.

 

The flat is not what Lucas expects. The door opens directly out into a wide room with a bed in the far left corner underneath a moonlit window. A sofa sits a few feet away from the bed, facing a blank wall hidden by a load of brown boxes, which are also placed at seemingly random intervals across the wooden floor, only being interrupted by the kitchen units and fridge that lie against the right-hand wall.

 

“Sorry, I’m moving out soon, hence all the boxes.” Eliott shuts the door behind them, moving to turn on a lamp by the door, which casts a warm light across the room to counter the moonlight. “So, I can’t really offer you that much. Wine perhaps?”

 

Lucas nods and forces himself to stop staring at the room in front of him. Eliott reaches into one of the boxes near the kitchen area to pull out two wine glasses and moves over to the almost empty fridge, from which he produces an almost full bottle of red wine.

 

He sets the glasses down on the counter and pours an equal measure in both. Lucas walks over to join him, leaning against the counter and gladly accepting the glass offered to him. He takes a sip before setting the glass down again as Eliott returns the bottle to the fridge. As he bends slightly, Lucas can see a shred of pale skin emerge from underneath Eliott’s top and quickly picks up the glass again, hoping that the cool liquid will help him control himself for a little longer.

 

“Not going to wait for a toast?” Eliott asks, shutting the fridge and picking up his own glass to take a prolonged sip, his eyes not leaving Lucas’ the entire time.

 

“What would you want to toast?” Lucas asks, returning the gesture.

 

“To tonight,” Eliott places his own glass back down on the counter, slowly walking towards Lucas until he is standing right in front of him, his shoulders hunching slightly so they are at the same level. Lucas places his own glass down and moves his now free hand to tease at Eliott’s belt loop, encouraging him closer. With one graceful step Eliott is pressing gently into Lucas and he can’t help but feel the heat rise between them. “To us.”

 

At that whisper, Eliott connects their lips, letting them move together, drawing breath from one another as their mouths open in unison. Eliott tries to step closer, allowing his crotch to brush over Lucas’ and causing a gentle moan to escape from both of their mouths in unison. Not breaking the connection between their lips Eliott’s hands slide down Lucas’ slides, causing goose bumps to erupt across Lucas’ skin, until they hook under his butt. Eliott smoothly lifts Lucas onto the kitchen counter so that it is Lucas that is leaning down to connect their lips.

 

Lucas scoots forward on the counter, his hands moving to tangle themselves in Eliott’s hair and mess it up in a way he was secretly fantasising about back at the bar. Hooking his legs around Eliott’s torso, he uses his toes to flick of his shoes behind his back before wrapping his legs tighter and letting his growing bulge press into Eliott’s stomach.

 

Lucas reluctantly drags his hands away from Eliott’s hair, trailing them down his neck and gaining a frighteningly arousing shiver in response and a tightening of Eliott’s hands against his jeans. He works his hands in between them, undoing Eliott’s jacket with a few tugs at the zip.

 

Eliott breaks the kiss, lightly licking Lucas’ lips before leaning back and removing his hands so that he can completely remove his jacket, followed swiftly by his shirt, exposing his toned torso beneath. Lucas tries to follow suit, but his previously steady hands have turn shaky at the slight of the god that stands before him.

 

“Let me,” Eliott whispers, leaning in again and grazing his lips across Lucas’ before moving them down across his cheek and towards his neck. Lucas feels his head tilt back as Eliott lets his lips move across Lucas’ smooth neck, changing the connection from his lips to his tongue at a varying pace, while slowly undoing the buttons on Lucas jacket. Lucas lets Eliott remove the material and toss it to another part of the flat, not listening to the thud it must make against the many boxes.

 

Lucas plants his hands against the counter, trying to steady himself as Eliott continually works at his neck, sucking and planting kisses in a way that makes Lucas want to connect their bodies. He gently tries to shift further against Eliott, tell him of his growing need without having to say the words. Eliott moves his lips away from Lucas’ neck and back up towards his lips, their tongues beginning to slide against each other once again.

 

“Bed?” Lucas manages to whisper when he and Eliott have to part for air.

 

“I thought you’d never ask,” Eliott manages to let out between breathes. He hastily reconnects their lips and returns his hands to Lucas’ butt, lifting him off the counter and walking over to the bed. Lucas, previously at the height of Eliott’s stomach feels himself drop slightly as he is picked up. As he slides down he finds himself resting lower, able to feel Eliott’s hard on between his legs. He tries to let himself sink lower as Eliott walks and it works, a moan escaping Eliott’s lips as Lucas can feel the tip of Eliott’s dick brush feverishly against his jeans.

 

Eliott lets Lucas fall back onto the bed while he remains standing, both of them looking at each other with a hunger that Lucas has not felt in a long time. “You’re still wearing far too many clothes,” Eliott whispers as his hands trace down his own stomach, swiftly undoing the fly of his jeans and pushing them down until he can step out of them. Lucas can feel his mouth watering at the slight of Eliott’s length pressing against his boxer briefs. He has to close his eyes for a second before re-opening them to appreciate the show that he’s sure he’s going to get.

 

Sure enough, Eliott’s hands move to the waistband and slowly expose his erection, his tip already wet and dripping. Lucas leans his head back against the bed and swallows audibly, trying to deny touching himself until Eliott does.

 

Eliott slowly kneels down in front of Lucas at the foot of the bed. He places his hands on Lucas’ knees and slowly spreads them, allowing him to move in closer. He runs his hands upwards across Lucas’ thighs until they reach the hem of his shirt. As he slowly pushes it upwards, he runs his lips across the skin he is exposing, working in a line up from the V that meets Lucas’ jeans, over his belly button and towards his nipples. Lucas arches his back as the t-shirt reaches his shoulder blades, slightly begging Eliott to remove it for him. Eliott obliges and grants Lucas a quick brush of their lips, before working his way back down.

 

When he reaches the top of Lucas’ jeans, he repeats the motions he made against his own jeans only slower. Lucas exhales as he feels the tightness of his jeans stop pressing against his dick, though wishes some friction would return soon. Eliott steps back to remove the fabric as well as Lucas’ socks before heading back up, pressing kisses against Lucas’ thighs and sending shivers down Lucas’ spine straight to his dick.

 

“Fuck, Eliott,” Lucas moans as he feels the fabric of his boxers against his dick being replaced by Eliott’s tongue running from his balls up to his tip. Eliott brings a hand to the base of Lucas’ dick slowly moving it against the sensitive skin as his mouth moves over the tip in unison, his tongue sliding in ways that make Lucas feel close to exploding.

 

Eliott is moving his free hand against his own dick, letting the moans escaping from Lucas’ mouth urge him on and feeling a knot slowly build in his stomach, granting himself the inexplicable pleasure that comes from the friction. He can feel his saliva mix with the pre-cum trailing from Lucas’ dick and slowly lets himself swallow with a sweet cry as his tastes the other boy in his throat.

 

“Stop, stop,” he hears in the midst of a chorus of moans erupting from Lucas’ mouth. He slowly pulls away, letting the liquid slowly drip from his mouth as his hands come to a stop.

 

It is hard for him to stop himself from resuming his motions as he sees Lucas’ blissed out face shiny with sweat above him, so he removes his hands and uses one to wipe away the mix of pre-cum and saliva from his lips.

 

Lucas takes in a shaky breath before continuing. “I want you inside me,” he whispers, raising his head so that his eyes can meet Eliott’s. Never one to disobey such a want, Eliott slowly rises up from his knees so he can see Lucas spread out before him, his hair pointing in all directions and his teeth gently biting down against his bottom lip.

 

“You sure?” Eliott asks to make sure, knowing that they both want it, but making sure that this is something Lucas is comfortable with.

 

“Very,” Lucas says with a nod, slowly pushing himself up so he is seated, mouth in line with Eliott’s belly button. He raises a hand to slowly brush his fingers down Eliott’s side. “I’ve not been this certain for a long time.”

 

Eliott moves away to fish his lube and condoms out of the box where he knows he packed them and returns to find Lucas shifted further up the bed, legs spread to fully expose himself beneath Eliott’s gaze, hand gently brushing along his swelling dick, once again trying to control the temptation to orgasm at the mere sight of Eliott naked and aroused in front of him.

 

Tossing a condom onto the bed, Eliott kneels down on the bed, slowly letting the lube run from the tube onto his fingers. He tosses the tube down next to the condom and slowly leans forward, letting his un-lubed hand rest on the pillow supporting Lucas’ head, whilst his other trails down the tight skin of his stomach, steadily working its way around Lucas’ erection until it reaches the pink skin around his hole.

 

Eliott reconnects their lips, sliding his tongue in between Lucas’ lips as he starts to slide his finger in, feeling Lucas clench around him before relaxing and allowing him to slide all the way in. Lucas breaks the kiss to whisper, “You can move,” before bringing his lips back to Eliott’s. Eliott can only oblige, sliding his finger out to the first knuckle, before moving it back in steadily increasing the pace as Lucas moans for more beneath him.

 

Adding his second finger causes a series of curses mixed with sounds of pleasure to spill for Lucas’ lips and Eliott can see why he asked for Eliott to be inside him; it’s clear that nothing, not even the movement of Eliott’s lips against his dick, could compare to this. Eliott’s hips buck in response to the sounds Lucas is making, causing their dicks to brush against each other in time with the movement of Eliott’s fingers until their shared moans are all they can both hear.

 

“Please Eliott,” Lucas whispers, his needs obvious by the expression across his features. Eliott gently removes his fingers and leans back so that his thighs rest against his calves and he can reach the condom. He swiftly removes it from its wrapper and rolls it across his dick, giving himself a few strokes out of pure selfishness at the sight of Lucas in front of him whilst adding more lube from the tube to its surface.

 

Eliott moves forward once again, planting a cascade of kisses across Lucas’ thigh as he prepares to line himself up with Lucas’ lube coated hole. Eliott is surprised when he feels Lucas’ hand on his cheek, guiding him up to look at Lucas’ face. “Let me,” he says, a cunning smile spreading across his face as he pushes against Eliott, causing him to roll over and for Lucas to end up sat against his lower stomach. Eliott can’t help but plant the same smile across his own face.

 

Slowly, Lucas moves backwards, letting Eliott’s dick brush up against his back before rising up onto his knees. He reaches a hand behind himself to find Eliott’s length and slowly line it up with his hole. He sinks down gently, a hiss escaping from between his lips whilst Eliott can only stare at the boy in front of him with a mix of arousal and awe.

 

As Lucas sinks lower and lower Eliott can feel more and more of him, the tightness of Lucas wrapping itself around his dick in a way which he doesn’t want to end. After an eternity, but also far too quickly, Lucas bottoms out, closing his eyes and opening his mouth in inexplicable pleasure. Then, slowly, he starts to lift himself back up, sliding along Eliott in a way that no one else has before.

 

Lucas places his hands against Eliott’s stomach and rides him with pleasure written within every movement and sound. Eliott tries to let Lucas be in complete control of the situation, but it’s not long before his body responds, thrusting up as Lucas pushes down and causing their movement to become more erratic.

 

The sound of Eliott’s thighs hitting Lucas’ ass threatens to take over the sound of their pleasure. As Lucas’ sides become coated in sweat, Eliott digs his nails into them to secure them both, earning a grunt of appreciation from Lucas in response. Eliott’s vision becomes filled with the sight of Lucas on top of him, the hint of his dick entering Lucas’ hole as he bounces, the angry slapping of Lucas’ dick against his stomach, pre-cum adding to the sweat that covers him and Lucas’ mouth; Eliott has to resist reaching his fingers up between the O formed by his lips, so he can feel Lucas’ tongue against them.

 

Lucas lets out a scream of ecstasy as Eliott hits his prostate, the feeling cursing through his veins, almost making him lose his balance. Eliott moves his hands down to Lucas’ hips, securing him as he hits that point again and again, Lucas’ cries going straight to his own dick and making it hard for him to keep his motions precise. The O that Eliott fixated on before becomes wider and before he knows what he’s doing, he moves one hand from Lucas’ hip to his open mouth.

 

His fingers trace steadily over Lucas’ lips as he makes his thrusts slower. Lucas opens his eyes, gazing down at Eliott with pure lust. Lucas moves one of his hands from Eliott’s stomach to his wrist, guiding his fingers into his mouth and closing it around them. He lets his tongue run across the underside as he slowly moves the fingers in and out of his mouth, letting out a deep moan each time they start to edge towards his throat, all the while continuing to rotate his hips around Eliott’s dick.

 

Eliott’s fingers fully coated in saliva, he gently removes them from Lucas’ mouth, letting them trail down his chest and across his stomach until they reach his dick. He runs his fingers across the underside before fully wrapping his hand around its length and moving the skin up and down in time with his thrusts. It takes mere seconds before Lucas’ eyes shut once again and the O of his mouth returns.

 

Almost without warning, Lucas lets out a long cry that ends with cum spurting from his dick and planting itself across both of their stomachs, Eliott continues to move, hitting Lucas where he knows he wants it and letting his hand continue pumping until the flow stops and Eliott finally feels himself coming undone within Lucas. He lets Lucas’ names fall from between his lips as he feels the boy on top of him clench and unclench against him as he moves himself to make up for Eliott’s now lacklustre thrusts.

 

Eliott can’t help but smile as he comes down from his orgasm. Lucas leans forward to press their lips together as he slides off Eliott’s now much softer dick. Bringing a hand up to cup Eliott’s cheek, he gently pulls away and moves to lie down beside the man he just made love with.

 

“Well,” Eliott sighs as he removes the condom and loosely ties it. “That was…” he trails off, able to find the words, but not wanting to scare Lucas away with them.

 

“Exactly,” Lucas replies, a smile still imprinted across his features.

 

***

Lucas comes back from cleaning himself up in Eliott’s bathroom to find a gentle snore coming from under the duvet on the bed. He runs his hands through his hair and lets himself smile at the situation he’s found himself in.

 

He locates his boxers and jeans at the foot of the bed, putting on the former due to the low temperature that he didn’t notice when he first came back to Eliott’s. Heading over to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, he finds his jacket slung over one of the boxes nearby. Reaching into his right-hand pocket, he pulls out his phone to check his messages.

 

The brightness stuns him for a moment, but when his eyes adjust, he can’t help but be stunned at the time that greets him; almost four in the morning. Scrolling through his notifications, he doesn’t notice anything of importance, apart from a message sent by Mika at 1am, **I expect you to be on the welcoming committee at 09:00 sharp!!!** Given all the previous timetables Mika has made the flat stick to, Lucas knows better than to think that he’s kidding by this point.

 

Lucas bites his lip as he looks back over at Eliott’s sleeping figure on the bed, knowing that he doesn’t want to leave without an explanation, but also knowing that if he wakes Eliott up, there will be a high chance that he won’t make it back to the flatshare until well after 9am.

 

He ponders the moral dilemma as he clears away the wine glasses, pouring their remains contents down the sink and going as far as to rinse them, so he can place them back in the box that Eliott had pulled them out of a few hours earlier. As he dries his hands on a piece of kitchen roll, he comes to a decision.

 

Slowly, he picks up the rest of his scattered clothes from around the studio and goes into the bathroom to change, so his movements won’t cause Eliott to stir. Heading back out into the main space, he pats his pockets to check that he has everything of his, opens the door to the flat and switches off the lamp before gently pulling the door shut behind him.

 

In his taxi home, he sends Eliott a text, letting him know why he had to leave and reassuring him again that he had an amazing time. Trusting that he has done all that he can, as soon as Lucas reaches the flatshare, he dumps his jacket and shoes in the hallway, before making his way to his room and collapsing gratefully onto his bed.

 

The next thing he knows, light is suddenly forced onto his eyelids and there is a deafening voice coming from above him. “Wake up call, sleepy head!” The voice rings in his ears and he instinctively moves to cover both his eyes and ears protectively.

 

Once he hears his door slam shut, he allows himself to turn his head to the side of the bed where his alarm clock sits. It’s five minutes before their new flatmate is supposed to arrive; Mika has been kind to him. Stirring himself back into complete consciousness with a stretch, Lucas rolls so that he’s seated on the edge of his bed.

 

Standing makes the events of the night before apparent to him, a dull ache extending from his rear to the lower part of his spine. He gives it a smoothing rub, knowing that nothing but time will let the ache fade.

 

Grabbing his dressing gown from where it hangs on one of his dresser handles, he slings it over himself and heads towards the faint smell of coffee. Lisa is sitting at the small table in the kitchen, a coffee in front of her. One elbow rests on the table, hand supporting the weight of her head.

 

“Too early for you too?” Lucas remarks, fishing out the instant coffee from the cupboard and scooping a generous amount into his mug.

 

“I don’t really get why we have to be here for this.” Lucas, having poured boiling water over the grounds, joins her at the table. He begins to stir the mixture, but quickly stops when the swirling liquid starts to make him feel dizzy.

 

“First impressions.” Mika’s voice comes from behind Lucas. Lucas can only look at him with annoyance, Lisa not far behind, due to how awake and presentable he looks. “Speaking of, how did your date go last night?” He leans against the counter, letting Lucas know that no matter what, he has the time to listen to all the details.

 

“It was really good,” Lucas admits, “like, really, really good. Be glad I didn’t bring him back here, let’s just say that.” Lisa takes a sip of her coffee with a sigh, always being the most vocal in complaining about the amount of noise Lucas’ guests make. “It’s weird, I don’t think I’ve ever liked any one as much,” a new noise behind him makes Lucas turn in his chair as he carries on speaking, “from the first date.”

 

At that moment in time, Lucas is very glad he has left his coffee on the table rather than sitting with it in his hand, as if he had been holding it, there would now definitely be a broken mug on the floor and at least two burns victims.

 

“Ah,” Mika pushes himself off the counter and moves to stand beside the stunned man who is standing at the entrance to the kitchen. “This is Eliott, our new flatmate.” Eliott raises a hand awkwardly to wave, leaving Lucas speechless for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.


	2. Best to Leave

Lucas stands in front of his mirror, the room around him much the same as the night before. The only differences are that this time, Lucas is buttoning up his work uniform and the thought of Eliott forms a much more confusing picture.

 

For once, he’s ready for work early, wanting to avoid Eliott purely to avoid the awkwardness, but not wanting to inform Mika and Lisa of the situation. He pockets his phone and makes a move for the door when he hears a gentle knock on the painted wood.

 

Lucas freezes in his tracks, knowing that Mika doesn’t knock and Lisa is very much the person to wait for people to come to her, although she would prefer them not to altogether. “Lucas?” The voice, _that_ voice, the one that last night had Lucas trembling with excitement and desire and that now, fills him with nerves.

 

He coughs to make sure his voice is at the right octave before replying. “Yes?”

 

He can hear shuffling from the hallway. “Can I come in?”

 

Lucas looks around at the mess on his floor, which since last night has managed to spread to his bed. He knows that he can do nothing to fix it and he doesn’t want to have a conversation with Eliott in the hallway where his flatmates could more easily overhear, so decides that inviting him would be the lesser of two evils. “Yeah, uh, sure.” He manages to withhold the tremble from his voice.

 

The handle twists slowly, causing Lucas’ breath to hitch. Eliott steps in through the small crack he’s made and lets the door swing until it is almost closed behind him. Lucas can feel the difference in the room as Eliott steps forward and looks sheepishly around the space. There’s some of that charge from last night still, that lust that they both felt, but there’s also an edge that wasn’t there before.

 

It kills Lucas because to him, Eliott still looks like as much of a god as he did the previous night. He’s recently showered, hair a mix of dry and wet, the longest strands still clinging to his neck and forehead. He’s in a comfy t-shirt and sweats, but somehow manages to look like he should be on the cover of a magazine. He brings his large hands together in front of him, clenching them together with fingers interlocking before releasing them and letting them fall to his sides.

 

“I like your room.” Eliott speaks as he lets his eyes wander around the space, noticing the details of the biology-based textbooks on his desk, abandoned Xbox controller on his dresser, next to a cross that Lucas’ mum bought him for his tenth birthday, the laundry that litters his floor.

 

“Thanks,” Lucas manages to mutter back, “It needs a bit of a clean, but …” He finds himself trailing off.

 

“All good rooms need a bit of mess.” Eliott fixes his gaze on Lucas. “Mine’s normally very messy, it’s just with the move and everything, well, I need to be able to see what I’m packing.” He lets out a little chuckle, to which Lucas can’t help but reply with a small smile of his own.  “That’s the only reason it was clean last night.”

 

Lucas’ smile drops as he nods. This is where he knew that any conversation between the two of them would end up. He smooths down his work shirt, starting to wish that he hadn’t bothered ironing it, in which case he would already be halfway to the restaurant now.

 

“I really enjoyed last night, Lucas.” Eliott’s words start to rush out of him. “And it’s bad how things have ended up, if I’d have known that this was the flatshare I was moving into, well, I don’t think I would have done it.” Lucas breathes in sharply, bracing himself against the harsh words that he’s sure will flow from Eliott’s lips within moments. Eliott pauses as he takes in Lucas’ panic. He steps forward, reaching both arms up and letting his hands cup Lucas’ cheeks. He runs his thumb under Lucas’ eye where he hadn’t even noticed a tear had fallen. “Hey, what’s this for?” Eliott continues to circle his thumb, the soothing motion restoring Lucas’ breathing, however shaky.

 

“I should have known that you wanted it to be a fuck-and-run, I mean look at you.” He gestures his arms widely, bringing his eyes up to run over Eliott’s neck, the traces of stubble starting to grow, past his lips and to his fiery eyes, unable to leave their gaze. “I should never have sent that text. I should have known that you would rather never see me again.”

 

Eliott closes his eyes, scrunching them slightly before re-opening them. “Fuck, Lucas. I should have just finished what I was saying, though just so you know, I packed my charger away and only found it half an hour ago, my phone’s been dead since I woke up this morning.” He shakes his head slightly before continuing. “What I was saying was, I would have never moved in because I don’t know how I’m going to control myself around you, be in such close,” he growls the word, causing an instant and involuntary reaction from Lucas, “proximity to you. I want this to be more than a one-night-stand for sure. What exactly I want it to be, I don’t know yet, but I know that I want you, definitely.” He licks his lips and nods reaffirming to Lucas.

 

Lucas is starting to hate how speechlessness is becoming such a big part of his life, though he’s willing to take it if that’s the price for having Eliott in it too. Instead, he can only come up with a simple request. “Kiss me.” It comes out as barely a whisper, but Eliott, already so attune to Lucas responds instantly.

 

The kiss is different to those shared the night before. They were lustful, a means to an end, whereas this time, when their lips touch, Lucas is struck by how gentle it is. Eliott holds their lips together for a few seconds, before parting his lips slightly and allowing them to move against Lucas’. Lucas sighs into Eliott’s mouth as the taller takes another step closer, allowing their bodies to press against each other and Lucas to lean his head back into the kiss.

 

There is a sudden crash from the doorway and they spring apart, like adulterers caught in an embrace, and turn towards the source of the noise. Lucas’ hands remain suspended in mid-air where he was reaching only seconds before for Eliott’s t-shirt and his cheeks burn from the loss of Eliott’s smooth palms.

 

Mika, thankfully unaware of the situation present before him, smiles as he sees the two boys before him. “Ah, there you are. I was unpacking that box of kitchen things and, well, are you Lucile’s boyfriend?”

 

Lucas can’t help but look between his flatmates in confusion. “Uh, I.” This time it’s Eliott who’s lost for words, though Lucas is not too keen on the circumstances.

 

Mika lifts his hand from his side to his chest, inspecting the object in it that Lucas hadn’t previously noticed, an inquisitive look on his face. Eliott steps forward, acting as if to block Lucas’ view, but he can already see that it is a photo frame. He steps forward as well, so that Eliott is no longer in front of him, and is shocked by the image that greets him in the frame; Eliott and a girl with long brown hair kissing in front of a sunset.

 

“That’s her, isn’t it?” Mika points his finger to the frame so that it is covering the girl’s face even more than Eliott’s lips are in the photo. “I mean, I haven’t seen her since just after the BAC, and I do remember she was dating a guy then.”

 

“Yes, that’s her.” Those are the only words Lucas hears before he’s storming out of his own room and towards the door, cursing himself again and again as his feet thud against the thin carpet. All manner of thoughts cross his mind about Eliott’s intentions; to trick the gay guy into sleeping with him, to use him to make his girlfriend jealous, as someone to cheat on his girlfriend with. Each idea becomes more terrible than the one before and the last thing he wants is for Eliott to follow him, though he knows it is inevitable.

 

“Lucas.” His voice is soft and full of worry. Lucas, in contrast, shoves his arms into his jacket sleeves and brings the front door handle down with such force that it groans in protest.

 

“I need to go to work, Eliott.” He spits out the words and slams the door behind him, vibrations reverberating through the floor as he strides off down the corridor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strap in for that angst y'all.


	3. Late Night Decisions/Early Morning Conversations

In the dimly lit corridor, Lucas struggles to find the keyhole. He misses a few times, the key hitting parts of the door, missing the lock by mere centimetres. He pulls his hand back, breathing out steadily and counting to five in his head before attempting it again. He knows that using this technique from his counselling would have been more useful two days ago, when his anger no doubt got the better of him, but he at least hopes his flatmates will be grateful for the lack of disturbance on this night, especially as it’s approaching two in the morning.

 

With his renewed calmness, Lucas can easily fit his key into the lock and turns it gently, letting himself into a hallway with even less light than the corridor outside. He decides not to flick the light on, knowing that Lisa will complain that the change in brightness affected her sleep to him in the morning.

 

Instead, he shrugs out of his coat with the door still open and hangs it before bringing the door to a gentle close. Once he hears the click, he pushes down on the handle to check that it is well and truly locked. Satisfied, he decides to focus on his biggest need after a long night serving people food, his own hunger.

 

He treads lightly across the corridor and around the corner toward the kitchen. He’s surprised to find light spilling out from behind the door but decides not to question it if he wants to eat something before bed.

 

Opening the door gently, he sees Eliott standing over the sink, headphones on and suds reaching up to his elbows as he scrubs at a baking tray. Small sounds are coming out of his mouth, little uh’s and pmft’s that Lucas can’t associate with any song he knows. Lucas closes the door before he speaks, realising that if Eliott hasn’t noticed him yet, when he does he’ll probably get a fright and well, Lisa. He shudders slightly at the thought of her wrath.

 

Lucas takes a few steps so that he’s leaning against one of the dining chairs, letting his bodyweight fall into his arm as he uses it for support; anything to get the weight off his feet. “Hey.” He speaks a bit louder than usual and sure enough, suds fly out of the sink as Eliott whips around, holding the dripping baking tray in one hand and the sponge in the other. His mouth is agape, eyebrows raised into his hair.

 

If it was one of his other flatmates, Lucas would be rolling around on the floor in hysterics at this point, but as it’s Eliott, he can only find a small smile.

 

“Lucas!” Eliott manages to gasp out, his breaths coming in in rushes. He turns back toward the sink, placing the sponge in it and the baking tray on the drying rack with a thud. As his breathing slows, he grabs the tea towel on the kitchen counter and dries his hands before moving his headphones so that they hang around his neck and pausing the music, which Lucas still can’t understand even though he can hear it.  “You scared the shit out of me,” he whispers, turning around and leaning back against the counter housing the sink.

 

“Sorry.” Lucas hangs his head for a moment before looking at Eliott again. “I didn’t expect anyone to still be around.”

 

Eliott lifts one hand off the side and runs it through his hair. “Well, yeah, day off tomorrow, so I did some baking earlier and just remembered about the pots.” He brings his hand back down, gesturing to the drying rack full of baking utensils before placing it on the counter once again.

 

“Has Mika not shown you how to work the dishwasher?” Lucas asks, walking over to the opposite counter and opening up the machine to reveal a set of clean dishes.

 

“He has, yes.” Lucas looks over to see Eliott nodding and quickly shuts the door. “I just didn’t want to take up all the space with my stuff and well, they’re quite sticky brownies, so I don’t think a run in the dishwasher would get it all off.” He shrugs and a silence begins to fall between them. Lucas opens his mouth, trying to think of something else to say, but Eliott cuts him off with an offer. “Would you like to try one?”

 

Lucas thinks of the cheese toastie he was going to make himself and what Eliott might take this acceptance as but decides that he’s craving something sweet more than something savoury anyway. “Yeah, why not.”

 

Eliott pushes himself off from the counter and pulls out a chair for Lucas at the table, before sauntering over to the fridge. Only once Eliott is rummaging through his shelf does Lucas cross behind him and take the seat, wanting to avoid the possibility of contact as much as possible. Feeling the tiredness sweep over him as he sits down, he brings the heels of his palms up towards his eyes, rubbing them in the way his used to do as a child to see the shapes that would form behind his eyelids.

 

“Tired?” Eliott asks, placing a plate with a single brownie slice on down in front of him and taking the seat opposite.

 

“How can you tell?” Lucas retorts, the sarcasm slipping out. He brings his hands down from his face so they’re resting on the table and shakes his head slightly. “Sorry, yeah. Long shift.”

 

“I understand.” Eliott keeps his voice soft and even. Lucas, sensing another period of silence, picks up the brownie slice and bites down, a squirt of chocolate rushing into his mouth. He hums approvingly at the taste. Before he can compliment Eliott on it, the taller boy starts to speak. “It’s me who should be sorry though, I should have let you know more about me before, well, before we got into anything.”

 

Swallowing the piece in his mouth, Lucas puts the brownie down, sensing that now is probably not the best time to be eating. “What do you want to tell me?” As he asks the question, he pushes down all the situations he’s imagined over the past 48 hours of how this conversation would go.

 

“Well, Lucile’s not my girlfriend anymore.” A wave of relief washes over Lucas, though he can sense that this isn’t the end of the story. “But, it’s complicated.” Eliott casts his gaze down to the table and brings his hands together in front of him, clenching and unclenching them before continuing. “Lucile is still a really important friend to me and she helps me when other people can’t or don’t know how to. We were together when I found out that I’m bipolar and when I’m low I still want her support. It sometimes leads to other things, but, well, I suppose that’s just us.” Eliott looks up at Lucas slowly, wanting to see but also wanting run in the other direction from his reaction.

 

Lucas is frozen, trying to assess the situation through the exhaustion. “So, Lucile is your ex-girlfriend, but when you have a depressive episode, you end up going to her for support and sometimes end up sleeping together?”

 

“More or less.” Eliott runs his palms together, generating heat from the friction.

 

“And how long has Lucile not been your girlfriend for?” Lucas asks, shocking Eliott with his choice of question.

 

“Uh, well, a couple of months I guess, but we originally broke up over a year ago, then got back together and, yeah…” He trails off and the movement of his hands stops. “It’s a bit complicated too, I guess. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t want something to work between us.”

 

“Just give me a sec,” Lucas says, running a hand down across his face. As they sit, the cogs in both Lucas’ and Eliott’s brains whir. Lucas takes a deep breath in. “Right, with the Lucile thing, I get it. I mean, I’ve been in your situation in terms of going back to an ex, for friendship and for other stuff and I know from counselling how important having support networks is. I wouldn’t want to take that away by being with you, because if I’m with someone, I like to just be with them and because it seems like things are a bit on and off between you... I just, I don’t want to get in the middle of that situation if I can avoid it.

 

“Actually, maybe I could work with it if we weren’t in the flatshare, but with that situation, there’s a chance that things could get messy between us and I don’t want that. I don’t think that you want it either. And then if it did, well, we’d be making it bad for people other than us. Do you get that?”

 

Eliott nods, a small line of water forming in his eyes that he manages to blink away. “I do get that Lucas, but, believe me, I don’t like to do things in half measures. If I commit to you, that’s it, you know. I would never sleep with Lucile, wouldn’t be anything more than a friend to her, as long as there was some hint of us being together.”

 

“Yeah, I, thank you.” Lucas manages to stumble over the words. “But, I think for now, we should just be friends. It’ll be, well, easier isn’t the right word, but better.” Eliott nods along to Lucas’ words, though wishes he cold convince the boy opposite him otherwise. “I’m just glad you’re not a straight guy trying to trick me into sleeping with him.” Lucas lets out a small chuckle.

 

“You thought that?” Eliott asks. He pushes his chair back and moves to stand up.

 

“Well,” Lucas murmurs, “I didn’t know what to think.”

 

Eliott stands and walks round his chair so he can push it back under the table. “Well, people can like more than one gender, you know.” Lucas wants to tell Eliott that he knows, but the older continues, not letting him speak. “And, well, do you think a straight guy could fuck you that good?” Eliott raises his eyebrows and Lucas is stunned into silence, a blush rising in his cheeks. “Night, Lucas.” He taps the top of his chair before exiting the room, leaving Lucas to stare in wonder after this expert brownie maker, flatmate and now, ex-lover.


	4. Movie Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small note about the involvement of Charles and Manon in this chapter; in this universe Charles did not belittle the SA against Manon by his brother. Don't do that peeps xoxo

When Mika suggests the idea of a regular movie night to make sure they keep ‘bonded’ as a flat, Lucas is unsure of his opinion on the idea. He contemplates it under Mika’s harsh stare, weighing up the time that he would like to spend with his flatmates against time spent with Eliott.

 

The week between their early morning kitchen conversation and Mika’s suggestion has been filled with awkward run ins and forced smiles. There is one time that still makes Lucas blush furiously; Eliott was in the shower whilst Lisa was grilling him about not seeing the guy he went on a date with again, que Eliott walking into the kitchen in a towel because he couldn’t get the shower to turn off. For Lucas, being reminded of the man he was supposed to be avoiding thinking about in _that_ way at _that_ very moment was the worst possible thing, especially when he was half naked and had water dripping down his body from his damp hair, over his smooth shoulders and down his toned abs.

 

Though, Lucas hopes that Eliott will be fully clothed at such a gathering and the film won’t give them much opportunity for talking about Lucas’ sex life. He’s just about to respond when Mika cuts in. “You’re taking too long to think about it. Be in the living room tonight at eight. Manon and Charles are coming.”

 

Before Lucas can respond, Mika rolls off Lucas’ bed and exits the room, leaving the door open as always. Lucas rolls his eyes and checks his watch; three hours until movie night seems plenty to stop himself from overthinking the situation.

 

* * *

Two and a half hours later and Lucas hears a knock on his door. Worried that it’s Eliott, he quickly runs a hand through his hair, hoping to create the illusion of him not having lain in bed for the last hour or so.

 

He strides over to the door and opens it in a rush, barely registering who’s there. “Hey,” an excited voice pipes up from red painted lips framed by brown hair in simple waves.

 

“Manon!” Lucas exclaims, leaning forward to give her cheeks two air-kisses, followed by a tight hug which she returns with as much enthusiasm. “I’ve missed you,” he says honestly.

 

Manon pulls back and they walk easily into Lucas’ room, taking their unset but always favoured positions on his bed, Lucas picking up a pillow to hold in front of himself. “I’ve heard good things about your new flatmate, I hope you don’t miss me because he’s awful!”

 

“No, no, no, he’s fine. Mika’s less easy to control with you not here though! And…” Lucas trails off, noticing the open door and standing to close it before returning to his position on the bed. “Well, I slept with Eliott.” Lucas’ features are pained with the relief of finally telling his secret to someone other than the man in question.

 

“You slept with him!” Manon can’t help but show her surprise, though manages to control her volume at least. “It’s not a good idea to sleep with your flatmates Lucas, I mean, look at Yann and Chloe!”

 

“Not like that!” Lucas pauses and says the rest whilst looking down at the pillow he clutches. “We met on Tinder, went on a date and, well, you know. Then the next day he’s moving in here and it’s all a mess.” Lucas looks up to see Manon’s thoughtful expression.

 

“Okay, putting the flatmate thing aside then, have you guys pursued anything, done anything else, since he moved in?”

 

“No, we haven’t. We’ve decided to just be friends.” Lucas begins to thumb the cover of the pillow, stroking it to distract from Manon’s potentially contrary opinions to his own.

 

“Because you’re flatmates?”

 

“Kinda, but it’s a bit messy with him other than that. There’s mental illness and stuff, which I’m fine with, but it also links back to his ex and I just, I don’t want to go there. I feel like if I do, I’m putting myself in a place where I’m most likely going to get hurt.”

 

Manon nods along to Lucas’ words. “I understand that, I do, but if you don’t put yourself in situations where you may get hurt, you’ll never get anything at all. And with exes, everyone has a past, but that’s what it is, the past. You can’t let the past dictate the future.”

 

Lucas opens his mouth to respond but is interrupted by Mika opening the door sharply. “I thought Lucas might have stolen you. Come on, we’re going to put the film on in a minute!” He turns to leave, but his head quickly whips back round. “And I’m afraid Charles is going to hurt someone if he has to spend any more time alone with me and Lisa.”

 

Manon rolls her eyes as she and Lucas reluctantly leave his bed to join everyone in the living room. It’s a fairly tight space for a four-bedroom flat, but even so the landlord has managed to squeeze in two two-seater sofas and a chair. Charles sits in the latter, with Mika and Lisa lounging over one sofa, whilst Eliott sits alone on the other.

 

Seeing the situation before them, Manon looks back at Lucas with worry plastered over her features. Lucas gives her a nod, knowing that a situation like this was going to arise at some point and gracefully takes the seat next to Eliott whilst Manon moves to sit on Charles’ lap.

 

Lucas decides not to get involved in the debate of what movie to watch, knowing that his most disliked genre, horror, will definitely not be chosen after a particularly bad _Insidious_ marathon a few years back. Seeing Mika, Lisa, Manon and Charles all making sure their voices are heard and breaking into twos to argue at a more personal level makes Lucas smile, reminding him of what it was like when there was this situation, or a very similar one, every night.

 

“What’s got you all happy?” Lucas turns his head to find Eliott looking intently between himself and the group, head cocked slightly to the side as he comfortably leans back against the sofa.

 

“I miss this.” Lucas nods towards the slowly quietening group. “They’re my family, you know? We bicker and argue, but they’re always there to support me, look after me. It feels weird, not having Charles and Manon around anymore.”

 

When he looks back over at Eliott, their eyes lock instantly. “Even though Manon’s not a central part of your life anymore, you’d still always go to her for help?” If any of the other’s overhead Eliott, Lucas knows that the comment wouldn’t mean much, but to Lucas, Eliott’s direction is clear. He knows he’s relating it to his own situation with Lucile, trying to make sure Lucas understands what it’s like.

 

Lucas sighs, not wanting the conversation to get back around to this topic, especially in front of the others. “Eliott, I…”

 

At that moment Lucas has never been gladder to hear Mika’s loud tones echo throughout the room. “LEGO movie it is!” His head whips round away from Eliott to find Mika slowly working his way around the coffee table to the TV, plastic DVD case held high above his head.

 

Lucas raises an eyebrow in Manon’s direction, knowing that she usually has the final say. “It was either that or _Dear John_ , again.” She purses her lips as she leans back against Charles and shoots him a discerning look.

 

Charles shrugs, bringing his arms to lock around her front. “What can I say, I’m a sucker for romance.” He leans into her to bring their faces closer so that they can kiss. Lucas forces himself to look down, not wanting to give any reactions away to the group.

 

Beside him, Eliott lets out a yawn, making Manon and Charles cease their lip sucking. “Sorry,” he pipes up, raising a hand in defence, “not you or,” he pauses to remember which film they’re about to watch, “the LEGO movie. I’ve just had a really long few days at work.” He receives collective nods from around the room, from those who work full time plus Lucas and Manon, who are using their long summer break from university to earn some much-needed money.

 

With the disk whirring inside the DVD player, Mika retakes his seat and picks up the popcorn from where he’d left it on the coffee table, letting the giant bowl sit in the dip between his folded legs. Lucas resists the eye roll that he can feel building, thankful at least that this week it isn’t his turn to clean the living room. Once Manon has reluctantly stood to turn off the light, Mika starts the movie and Lucas finds himself quickly being lost in the bright colours and catchy songs.

 

They’re almost halfway through the film when Lucas feels a sudden weight press onto his shoulder. He resists the urge to jump up suddenly, thinking that if a giant spider has landed on him and is preparing to kill, removing it from its launching pad will only irritate it more. Then, added to the weight, Lucas feels the brush of something soft against his neck. He slowly turns his head, less fearful of giant spiders now, and finds Eliott’s head gently resting against his shoulder, his eyes closed and breathing soft and steady.

 

Lucas is overcome by the memory of the last time he saw Eliott asleep like this and how much it struck him then how beautiful Eliott remained in his sleep. He closes his eyes briefly and when he reopens them, he finds Mika staring at him. “I thought we’d lost you both then,” he chuckles, causing the others to look over.

 

Manon’s instant look of concern is overcome by Lisa’s comment, “Bet your Tinder date from the other week would be very jealous if he could see you two.” She winks, making Lucas’ insides squirm.

 

“Yeah,” Mika ponders, his attention slipping from the TV screen in front of them, “why haven’t you seen that guy again? You said the date went so well.”

 

Lucas opens his mouth, but no words can make it out from between his lips. “Guys, the film.” Manon’s comment snaps them back to attention and Lucas finds himself mouthing a thank you in her direction. She nods before returning her gaze to the screen, realising that they can’t have a silent conversation across Mika and Lisa without them becoming suspicious.

 

For the rest of the film, Lucas feels constantly aware of Eliott’s presence beside him. Their breathing synchronises, and Lucas becomes accustomed to, if not welcoming of, the new weight. If Lucas moves his head, he can get Eliott’s hair to tickle against his neck in a soothing manner and he begins to wait for moments that he can do just that unnoticed.

 

As the credits start to roll, Manon starts to stretch and stand, complaining of how uncomfortable Charles is to sit on when he’s wearing jeans. Charles replies in hushed tones, reminding her of the fact that Eliott is still asleep on Lucas’ shoulder.

 

Manon turns to face them. “He must be so tired,” she sighs. “Shall we wake him?”

 

Lucas notices Charles look at his watch and moves his free arm to check the time on his phone. When he sees that it’s almost midnight, he’s relieved to have an excuse for his suggestion. “You guys go on out, I know you have work early tomorrow. I’ll wake Eliott in a minute.”

 

They slowly file out of the room, saying their goodbyes and repeating how they’ll have to do this again soon. Once the door is shut, Lucas lets his eyes close once again, embracing the time before he knows he has to wake Eliott.

 

Reaching his free arm round, he gently shakes Eliott’s shoulder on the opposite side, hoping to rouse him without startling him. It does the trick and slowly Eliott’s eyes begin to flutter open. Lucas pulls his hand back, resisting the urge to run the pads of his fingers across the top of Eliott’s hair.

 

“Time to wake up sleepy-head.” His voice comes out in a gentle whisper, slightly raspy from not being able to get up and have a drink. Eliott’s eyes open fully and remain that way for the first time. He pushes himself away from Lucas’ shoulder and turns his head, their eyes meeting, lips mere inches apart.

 

Eliott freezes as he realises his predicament, his eyes darting across Lucas’ features, trying to gain an answer that isn’t there. “What,” he pauses to cough some of the sleep out of his voice, “what happened? Where are the others?” As he speaks, Lucas can feel the warmth of his breath on his chin.

 

“You fell asleep.” Lucas’ voice remains in a whisper, not wanting to shatter the moment with any volume. “Manon and Charles are just leaving, I’m assuming Mika and Lisa will be off to bed soon.”

 

Eliott lets out a visible sigh of relief and lets himself sit up properly. His movement is quickly followed by a yawn and with his hands having caught it, he moves them to swiftly rub over his eyes and stretch upwards. As his arms lift, he pulls his t-shirt up, exposing his lower torso to Lucas, who feels the need to gulp and closes his eyes.

 

When he re-opens them, Eliott is moving his head from side to side, small clicks sounding from his neck. “So, I just fell asleep on you?” He looks at Lucas once more as he asks the question, gaining a nod in response. “Sorry.” With a final roll of his shoulders, he stops moving. “Work, you know.”

 

“I-,” Lucas stops to search for the words, “I didn’t mind. It was nice.” He lets himself shrug so as not to let Eliott know his full feelings towards the situation. “I didn’t get to do that last time.”

 

Eliott breaks out into a wide grin, one that reminds Lucas so vividly of the smiles they shared on the night they met. “Now, now,” he says, rising, “you’re the one who told me we’re just friends.” He turns his back on Lucas to walk towards the door but looks back as he opens it to gaze upon Lucas once more. “Don’t start planting ideas in my head!”

 

With that comment he slips out of the room, leaving Lucas to throw his head back in a mix of frustration, annoyance and, though he might not want to admit it to himself, desire.


	5. You Look Good In That

“Fuck!” Lucas slams his morning coffee down on the kitchen table, though the time is ticking over into early afternoon. He stares down at the screen in front of him, his reminder of Yann’s upcoming birthday staring back at him. Checking the date, he realises that his well-intentioned reminder has only given him a day’s notice.

 

Lucas begins to pace back and forth across the kitchen tiles as he ponders all the things he needs to get done. He’s grateful that he’s not working this particular Thursday at least, though he knows that that means he’s working on his best friend’s 21st of all things. He quickly drops Yann a message, asking about what plans he has, before resuming his pacing.

 

That’s how Eliott finds him a few minutes later, feet etching marks into the floor and his coffee, abandoned, slowly going cold in the afternoon sunlight. “Penny for your thoughts?” His question immediately halts Lucas’ movement, snapping him out of his thoughts.

 

“I forgot about Yann’s birthday,” Lucas admits, taking a seat and wrapping his hands around the cooling mug. “Well, I didn’t completely forget, I knew it was coming, I just didn’t know it would be tomorrow.”

 

Eliott nods and lets out a small chuckle as he strides over to the counter and pours himself a cup to match Lucas’. “We’ve all been there,” he says as his chuckle fades, taking the seat opposite Lucas.

 

“For your best friend’s 21st birthday?” Lucas asks the question with a hint of sarcasm, knowing that only he would manage to do something like this.

 

“Well,” Eliott barely pauses to think, “no. Yeah, that’s quite bad.” He lets out another chuckle and Lucas can’t help but join in, amazed at the situations he’s managed to get himself into lately.

 

Though not due to his own forgetfulness, it brings the situation between himself and the man sat opposite to the forefront of his mind and he realises that the way they’re sat now is not dissimilar, almost identical in fact, to their conversation almost two weeks ago, when Eliott had explained his situation and Lucas had not allowed them to be together.

 

“Racing to the shops today then?” Eliott asks the question as he sips on his coffee. Before he drinks, he licks his lips ever so slightly, the movement catching Lucas off guard again and forcing him to have to think thoroughly about the question before being able to answer it.

 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve got an idea of what I could get him and where to get it.” Eliott nods and gives Lucas a small smile. Lucas can tell he’s about to say something, but decides to cut him off. “Would you like to come with me?” Not letting him answer, Lucas begins to try to justify him wanting the company, specifically Eliott’s. “I mean, it’s a long way out and it might be that I need some help to get it back. Especially on the Metro, I don’t know about you, but Uber’s are getting so expensive lately and if I want to buy Yann a nice present, well, I can’t be spending money on that too. And I’m sure he’ll want to go out at some point. Then if you need anything as well, we can look for it. Only if you want to come, of course.”

 

When Lucas finally finishes speaking, it takes Eliott a moment to reply, partly due to the amount of words just thrown at him and partly because he wonders if Lucas has truly stopped speaking. “How many cups of coffee have you had this morning?” His joke is followed by a small, forced smile from Lucas, who remains unsure if he’s just managed to scare Eliott off for good or not. “Yeah, I was just going to say, I need to get some new clothes. The coffee machine broke twice last week, so I’m two t-shirts down.”

 

Lucas processes the information and lets himself break into a wide grin at the thought of him and Eliott doing something together. He knows that it should just be because it gives them the opportunity to hang out as friends, but he can’ help but wonder if them spending time together will show Eliott that he wants something more. Ever since Eliott made his comment after the film that, and how it felt to have Eliott sleep on him, are all that Lucas has been able to think about. It may have only been a few days ago, but it’s still enough to drive him crazy.

 

“Great,” he replies chirpily, trying not to let his exact thoughts show across his features. “When can you be ready by?”

 

* * *

 

Just over an hour later and Lucas and Eliott are standing on an escalator, taking them up to a shop that Lucas thinks might just have the perfect present.

 

“I forgot how big this place was.” Lucas turns towards Eliott’s voice behind him. As he’s standing on the step behind Lucas, they’re almost equal in height. Whilst it makes their conversations in public places better as both can hear what the other is saying, it makes it harder for Lucas to resist closing the shorter distance between their lips.

 

“You haven’t been here for a while?” Lucas asks the question with a slight raise of his eyebrows.

 

“No.” Eliott casts his gaze around them momentarily, as if checking who’s nearby, which is surprisingly not many people, though it is mid-afternoon on a Thursday, Lucas supposes. “The last time I came here, I was by myself in the middle of a manic episode. It took my mum half a day to return all the useless shit I bought.”

 

He lets out a laugh and Lucas follows suit as they step off the escalator. He’s not sure that he really finds it funny, but assumes it’s similar to his self-deprecating humour about his anger issues. “Most useless piece of shit you bought?” Lucas asks, genuinely interested in the answer.

 

“Did you ever watch Parks and Rec?” Lucas shakes his head, to which Eliott lets out a loud gasp, attracting the attention of a woman overloaded with Primark bags. “Well, we’re fixing that at some point, and then you’ll definitely get why I bought it. If you had, I’d say I bought a DJ Roomba and you’d be in hysterics.” Lucas looks back at Eliott as they walk just in time to see him raise his eyebrows so that they disappear behind his cascade of light brown hair. “Um, how to explain it. Like a little round vacuum cleaner that plays music and stuff.”

 

Lucas continues to look completely oblivious. “Doesn’t sound that out there.” He lets his shoulders shrug, secretly wanting to tease Eliott about this.

 

“It definitely is,” Eliott retorts, the lightness still in his voice despite his riled up tone. “Especially when it cost €900.” Lucas can’t help but react to that sum, his eyes visibly widening in shock. “Exactly!”

 

Eliott’s exclamation comes just as they reach Lucas’ intended shop. The front windows are lined with pictures of graffiti, which act as a back drop to a range of trainers, backpacks and, Lucas’ hopeful purchase, skateboards.

 

As they make their way towards the back of the shop, Eliott asks, “Does Yann skateboard like you do then?”

 

For a moment Lucas wonders where Eliott got the information from, before remembering that he talked about it on their date. “Who do you think taught me how to?”

 

As they reach the section of the shop that has skateboards protruding from the wall like picture hooks in an empty house, Lucas quickly loses himself in the choice. Before long he’s talking about the pros and cons of each board with a shop assistant, whilst Eliott wanders off to look at their vast shoe collection, not wanting to show his confusion in front of people who look fairly knowledgeable.

 

They meet at the till, Eliott having bought a pair of white Adidas trainers, whilst Lucas has gone for a board with a desirable mustard yellow underside, with the intention of allowing Yann to customise it himself.

 

As they exit with their bags, Lucas can’t resist the urge to tease Eliott again. “I thought you were just getting some t-shirts hmm.” He leans over as if to look into Eliott’s bag, who swiftly switches it to the other hand.

 

“Treat yo-self.” Eliott’s reply is met with a look of confusion from Lucas, causing an eye-roll from Eliott. “Parks and Rec marathon, tonight,” he instructs, causing Lucas to give a fake salute.

 

Eliott, still on the hunt for his two t-shirts, brings Lucas into a shop that he normally wouldn’t dare venture into. All the clothes seem like they wouldn’t suit him, in Lucas’ mind at least, being too extravagant or not looking comfy enough. He’s led to the back of the store by Eliott, where they find a small sale room, clothes hung haphazardly over hangers, rails bursting to the seams.

 

They begin to rifle through the assorted colours and reach in deep between items to find clothes so hidden it can only be assumed they’ve been forgotten about. Lucas finds himself reaching for a plain white t-shirt wedged between a pair of patterned trousers and a patchwork anorak. Little does he know that Eliott has the same idea and without either of them meaning to, their hands meet over the garment.

 

They both pause, fingers held against each other by some external force. Lucas looks up slowly, wanting to gauge Eliott’s reaction before withdrawing his hand. He raises his eyes to find Eliott already gazing at him. Their eyes meet, and Lucas can feel his heart rate shoot through the roof. In Eliott’s expression he can see a mixture of confusion and lust, the latter something far beyond his expectations.

 

Lucas opens his mouth but finds that no words can escape. Eliott twitches his fingers, not to withdraw, but reaching out further towards Lucas’. He slowly slides the tips of his fingers into the gaps between Lucas’. The brushing of their skin stops Lucas’ breathing completely.

 

Still speechless under Eliott’s gaze, he takes a step forward, so that his body brushes up against the clothes on the rail in front of him and it is only that one line that separates them. “Lucas.” The single word is enough to drive Lucas crazy with desire for the man in front of him, but he knows that if either of them want to reach the other properly, they’ll have to disconnect their hands to work their way around the space.

 

As quickly as their hands initially met, Eliott pulls back, a deep breath gushing out from between his teeth. “You should try that on,” he says, turning away. Lucas, even more stunned than before, can only reply with his continued silence. “Try it with these.”

 

Eliott turns back to him, a pair of navy chinos in hand. Instead of allowing another touch, he throws the trousers gently over the rail, where they land perfectly across Lucas’ shoulder.

 

Lucas’ hand, still hovering over the t-shirt, instinctively reacts to grab it. Pulling it out, he can see that it’s not completely white, but has short black sleeves with pink flowers. His faces scrunches slightly at the idea of wearing something that he normally wouldn’t and is about to tell Eliott as much, or to breach the topic of what just happened between them, but before he can, Eliott begins to head off towards the changing rooms.

 

He quickly strides after the taller man, only catching up when they reach a bored looking fitting room attendant who says that they’re welcome to any rooms they might fancy. At the word ‘fancy’ Lucas’ cheeks turn a shade of pink not dissimilar to the flowers on the top he’s holding.

 

Eliott leads them silently towards the back of the changing rooms and around a corner to a line of stalls with long black curtains facing a floor to ceiling mirror. He indicates for Lucas to go into one by pushing the curtain back for him fully. “You’re going to look great, trust me.” He gives Lucas a small smile, as if it will alleviate the tension between them.

 

Once he’s disappeared into his own room, Lucas decides he may as well do the same, rather than push Eliott into a conversation he’s not even sure he wants to have himself, not yet anyway. Pulling the curtain closed, he hangs his potential purchases on a hook before pulling his t-shirt off over his head and discarding it on the small bench that sits opposite the curtain.

 

He gives himself a small look in the mirror, checking that his emotions haven’t secretly got the better of him. Satisfied with how he appears, he reaches down to undo the top button of his jeans and pulls down his zipper.

 

“Can I show you this?” Eliott’s voice comes as a shock, but before Lucas can register it, Eliott is already pushing back the curtain and stepping into the small space, leaving Lucas frozen, his hands still resting on the top of his jeans.

 

Eliott’s wearing a pink shirt with small palm trees planted in a regular pattern across it. The top few buttons are undone, exposing the top of his chest and making his shoulders appear broader.

 

As Lucas sweeps his eyes across the man in front of him, he can feel Eliott do the same to him. His eyes are hungry as they look down from Lucas’ shocked expression, over to his exposed torso and down to his hands and crotch beneath them. Lucas heats under his gaze, his flush following the path of Eliott’s eyes until it’s his dick that responds, ready to leap toward whatever Eliott can give.

 

“Lucas.” That word is enough for Lucas. He turns toward Eliott at the same time Eliott is racing toward him. They collide passionately, lips aching for each other, bodies begging to be touched. Eliott’s hands come up to Lucas’ face, angling him perfectly so that when their lips do collide, there can be no mistaking his intentions.

 

Before Lucas can register the situation, his tongue is sliding in between Eliott’s lips and his hands are reaching towards Eliott’s hips, needing them to move closer to his own. Eliott, however, has other plans and pushes Lucas so that his back is flush with the mirror. Then, without warning, he pushes their bodies together, allowing the crotch of his jeans to brush against the thin material of Lucas’ underwear and causing the younger man to groan against Eliott’s lips.

 

Eliott continues to buck his hips against Lucas’ as he breaks the connection of their lips to allow his to suck against Lucas’ neck. With every movement Lucas has to fight back loud moans, forcing himself to remember where they are. Eliott’s hands slide down Lucas’ sides, grasping firmly onto his waist so to keep him in the exact right position from his thrusts to send Lucas to breaking point.

 

He can feel his dick rising with the increase in pressure, the friction feeling immeasurably good after mere weeks of Eliott’s absence from it. He moves a hand to cling onto Eliott’s hair, to pull on the sweet strands and make sure his lips stay locked onto Lucas’ neck.

 

A sudden chirp breaks the moment, Eliott instantly disconnecting from Lucas at the sound. Standing with his mouth hanging open, Lucas can see how rough he’s been against Eliott’s lips. Eliott stands, breathing heavily, mouth agape and assesses the situation in front of him in milliseconds.

 

Lucas steps forward, arms reaching out towards the man in front of him, already missing the friction, the taste, missing Eliott. Eliott, it seems, has other intentions and dashes back through the curtains.

 

Lucas moves to follow, confused, but the delay means that by the time Lucas is on the other side of the curtain, all he can see is Eliott’s figure disappearing around the corner. He starts to move toward it, before realising what a state he must be in. Casting a look toward the mirror, he can see his messed up hair, reddening neck and, most damning of all, his hard-on pressing against the cotton of his underwear.

 

“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath before heading back into the changing room and sitting down roughly on the wooden bench. He tries to speed up his coming down, but to no avail; Eliott has really got him good.

 

By the time he feels decent enough to walk out into the main store, with his own t-shirt back on for good measure, he can tell that he’s going to be too late. Sure enough, he walks out to the almost empty shop floor and lets out a dejected sigh. He understands that because of the size of the shopping centre, there won’t be much use in trying to find Eliott and instead hopes that he will have gone back to the flat.

 

He wonders aimlessly back into the changing rooms, banging a fist against his forehead in the process out of pure frustration. He finds Eliott’s new shoes abandoned in his room, though both the new top and the one Eliott was wearing are missing. Picking up his own belongings, he checks his phone, wanting to know what was so important that it caused the situation between him and Eliott to stop. In that moment, as bad as it makes him feel, he has never cared less about his best friend’s birthday celebrations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope someone else here will get the Parks and Rec references :')

**Author's Note:**

> Well well well, I hope you've strapped yourselves in because it's time for a slow burn fic!! Please feel free to point out any mistakes to me because whilst I usually feel I'm pretty on it with proof-reading, I don't normally write things this long!


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